The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors, and more particularly to a method for mounting electrical connectors to printed circuit boards with top-actuated eyelets and to an actuation tool for use in practicing the method.
In many electrical applications, it is necessary to mount one or more electrical connectors to a printed circuit board or other support panel. Typically, mounting is accomplished by extending suitable fasteners such as rivets or threaded screws through aligned apertures in the connector and the board.
Most traditional mounting means are not fully satisfactory in today's electronic industry with its increasingly higher assembly rates and greater miniaturization. Riveting systems, for example, require tooling both above and below the printed circuit board which must operate in precise coordination. Such tooling tends to be complex in design, costly to manufacture and difficult to operate in a reliable manner. Riveting systems also generally require the application of rather substantial forces during mounting which can damage the connector and/or the printed circuit board. The substantial forces required by riveting systems also cannot usually be achieved by robotic systems which are being used to an increasingly greater extent in the manufacture and assembly of electrical connectors.
Mounting systems which employ threaded fasteners are also not fully satisfactory as they generally require the use of expensive tooling as well as manipulation of the connector housing. Threaded fasteners are also usually not amenable to high speed, automated assembly procedures.
It is also known to mount electrical connectors to printed circuit boards by means of top-actuated eyelets. In such systems, an eyelet is extended through aligned apertures in a connector and a printed circuit board such that the bottom end of the eyelet extends outwardly beyond the back surface of the board. An actuation tool is then inserted into the eyelet from the top end thereof to deform the bottom end of the eyelet radially outwardly to attach the connector to the board.
Known mounting systems incorporating top-actuated eyelets are also not fully satisfactory. In many systems the actuation tool applies substantial vertical forces to the assembly during actuation of the eyelet which can cause the printed circuit board to bend or break unless properly supported from below. As indicated above, the use of support tooling below the printed circuit board is undesirable as it increases both the cost and complexity of the tooling. Also, mounting systems utilizing top-actuated eyelets usually require that the components be manufactured to fairly close tolerances to ensure proper alignment of the apertures in the connector and the board and proper positioning of the eyelets in the aligned apertures. The tolerance requirements of many systems render them unsuitable for assembly by robotic means and significantly increases manufacturing costs. In addition, some prior systems included a pneumatic gun-type actuation tool which was susceptible to being accidentally triggered such that an eyelet could become a dangerous projectile causing unintended injury to nearby persons or objects.